How to build relationships and help your employees

A wellness check for businesses | Being low maintenance is its own form of productivity | Factors that kill M&A Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( March 8, 2018 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Google+]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [FORWARD]( [] Leading Edge [] [A wellness check for businesses]( Problems within an organization are preceded by warning signs such as a high-level lack of focus and risk aversion, writes Steve McKee. "If you're noticing even mild symptoms of organizational flu -- the inability to agree on important decisions, whisperers in the hallway, passive-aggressive behavior -- the worst thing you can do is ignore them," he writes. [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (3/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [Being low maintenance is its own form of productivity]( Employees who are self-motivated problem-solvers save time for their bosses and are more valuable than equally productive but slow-starting peers, writes Shane Parrish. "One of the easiest ways to increase your value to an organization is to reduce the friction required to get you to do your job," he writes. [Farnam Street]( (3/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( How Wellbeing Shapes Workplace Cultures Employee wellbeing is a vital part of any business strategy. [This new white paper]( from the OC Tanner Institute highlights the impact of wellbeing on culture, and the symbiotic relationship between wellbeing and recognition. ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [Factors that kill M&A]( Mergers and acquisitions become more likely to fail for several reasons, including when the price is considered too discounted and when deals attract regulatory scrutiny, according to an analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence. In the past two years, more than 50 billion-dollar deals have failed. [Bloomberg Gadfly (free registration)]( (3/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( Do You Have Remote Employees? A distributed workforce provides challenges for many technology firms. [Learn more by downloading Oasis' recent white paper on this topic!]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Smarter Communication [] [How to build relationships and help your employees]( Building a rapport with your employees requires time spent talking and listening, with the goal sometimes simply to gain information rather than solve problems immediately, writes Steve Farber. "You have to remember what you learned and use it -- not for your benefit, but for the benefit of others (which will ultimately benefit you, as well)," he writes. [Inc. online]( (3/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [Study suggests a downside to public vulnerability]( When leaders and star performers divulge their shortcomings, they are at risk of diminishing their status, argues [research]( from Georgia Institute of Technology. "This is important because it could undermine their ability to be an effective manager," the study authors write. [The Horizons Tracker]( (3/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] The Big Picture Each Thursday, what's next for work and the economy [] [Report highlights employment gap for people with disabilities]( A RespectAbility report shows that there was an employment increase in 2016 among people with disabilities, although people without disabilities are more than twice as likely to hold jobs. [Fast Company online]( (3/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [For Eventbrite's founders, work is also a family affair]( For Eventbrite's founders, work is also a family affair Hartz (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz runs the company with her husband, which means their work and personal lives are entwined. "We are naturally advisors to each other, but there are clear lines of ownership, responsibility and accountability," she says. [Forbes]( (3/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [New England storm uncovers wreckage of Revolutionary War-era boat]( The wreckage of a Revolutionary War-era ship was uncovered on a beach in Maine by last week's powerful storm in New England. Only the bottom portion remains of what was once a "pink," a boat used for fishing or transporting cargo, according to researchers, who first examined the wreckage after another storm exposed it in 1980. [LiveScience]( (3/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [] To me, the only sin is mediocrity. Martha Graham, dancer and choreographer [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [Sign Up]( [SmartBrief offers 200+ newsletters]( [Advertise]( [Learn more about the SmartBrief audience]( Subscriber Tools: [Manage Subscriptions]( [Update Your Profile]( [Unsubscribe]( [Send Feedback]( [Archive]( [Search]( Contact Us: Jobs Contact - jobhelp@smartbrief.com Advertising - [Laura Engel](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) Editor - [James daSilva](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2018 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy policy]( | [Legal Information]( Â